| Next MCA Meeting... |
NO meeting in July...
the MCA is on vacation.
But stayed tuned for info on our Summer Party in August!!
|
| 2007
Board of Directors |
PRESIDENT
Yvonne Niemann
myniemann@sbcglobal.net
PAST PRESIDENT
Lou Stemmler
LouStem@silver-streak.com
TREASURER
Jim Trevor
JTrevor@ameren.com
MEMBERS AT LARGE
Tom Barry
Tom_Barry@ssmhc.com
|
| In Sync! Editor |
| Please submit all articles, Production Notes, and Members in the Spotlight paragraphs by the 20th of the month for inclusion in the following month's issue. Text should be embedded in the body of your email and pictures should be emailed as J-peg attachments.
See you in the next issue!
Emilie Barta
Newsletter Editor
| |
| 2007 St. Louis MCA
Calendar of Events |
August ??
Summer Party
Location TBD
September 12
Editing Showcase
6:30 pm, Location TBD
October 10
Audio for Production and Post-Production
6:30 pm at Joyce Meyer Ministries
November 14
St. Louis Film Festival Extravaganza
6:30 pm, Location TBD
December ??
Holiday Party
Location TBD
| |
|
|
|
|
Greetings!
Summer is officially here and your St. Louis MCA-I Chapter is taking a little vacation this month! We all need some time off, and July seems like the perfect time for people to regroup and relax a little. When we come back together in August, we'll celebrate summer with a little party where we can all gather with some food and drink while we catch up with others in our industry.
I don't know about you, but summer is a time when I relax a bit more than usual and slow down to enjoy life. Maybe it's the heat or it's me reliving my childhood - all I know is my body tells me to slow down and the rest of me follows suit. I tend to travel a bit more and don't take on as may jobs in these hot months. I have a few projects lined up, which I'm excited about, but I don't tend to stress as much about it like I do the rest of the year. This is the time of year that I allow myself to let loose and just let things happen. It's something I find necessary in order for me to carry on through the rest of the year. I think many of us are caught in the go, go, go mode that it seems impossible to ever shift gears and slow down. I believe that to an extent, we all need to find time to relax and enjoy what this life has to offer us. Sure, we can't take an entire summer off - after all, we have bills to pay and responsibilities. But, try to find some time to forget about work and do something you enjoy - or maybe do nothing at all. When you get back to work, you'll feel refreshed, have a new perspective and probably do a better job. It always works for me.
I hope you enjoy your summer and I can't wait to hear about your life and career successes at our August Summer Party!
Yvonne Niemann
President; MCA-I, St. Louis Chapter |
|
MO Film Commission Meets in KC
by: Mike Ketcher
The MO Film Commission discussed a hodgepodge of issues at its June 25 meeting in Kansas City.
Film Tax Credit Update: As this issue goes to press, it still hasn't been signed by the guv. Apparently, he has until July 14, Bastille Day, to do so. No reason on why, but it may be because that the film tax credit is part of a much larger economic development bill, which has generated some controversy. Still, the bill must be vetoed by the guv, if he doesn't like it. If he doesn't veto it by the deadline, it'll become law.
Film Office Goes Over-Budget: The MO Film Office went over their $150,000 per year budget by $17,274.55 for Fiscal Year 2007. To make up the deficit, they drew on the $30,000 in funding that their hometown city of Columbia, MO had given them a couple of years ago. The biggest part of the budget for FY 2007 was for salaries and fringes for Andrea Sporcic and Jerry Jones, the two full-time employees. These totaled $119,665 for FY 2007. The next
biggest expense was travel: $22,350.
"Albino Farm" Controversy: The horror film, "Albino Farm," which shot in Springfield, became embroiled in controversy. Apparently, "albino," is not a politically-correct term, and some people with albinism objected. Jerry Jones received a few angry e-mails about it, but the controversy seemed to die down after the local paper, "The Springfield News Leader," interviewed a person with albinism, who didn't object to the word or to the movie. The film is based on a local folk tale about a farm near Springfield where albinos and other outcasts gathered and may have done scary things.
Jackasses in Joplin: The people who brought you the "Jackass"
movies shot part of another film, "J-Town: The Life of Lucky Cucumber" in Joplin and Carthage, MO. While it's not part of the "Jackass" series, it's in the same highly-sophisticated vein.
New Policies for Filmmakers Applying for Tax Credits: Earlier this year, two producers had received approval for a tax credit for a feature film, "The Damned." They had a falling out, and both tried to lay claim to the credit. One of them prevailed and made a film in Kansas City, "Never Submit." As a result, the Film Commission and DED has revised their policies, asking for more documentation for a film's financials to be in place, before authorizing a tax credit.
Some of the tax credits authorized for films include: "Kingshighway" ($150,000), "Never Submit" ($300,000), "At Risk" (a documentary), "The Return" ($150,000). The head of the Department of Economic Development (DED), Greg Steinhoff, balked on approving the tax credit for the Tim Robbins film, "The Return," calling in a "pass-through" production, since it wasn't all shot in MO. Fortunately, he eventually relented, even though the $150,000 granted represented an effective tax credit of only 15%-20% for the film. There was some discussion of the bias in the DED against the film tax credit. Apparently, the economic model that the DED uses to evaluate tax credits doesn't work with evaluating the film tax credit -- and the DED apparently isn't smart enough to figure out a different model. Other films scheduled to shoot in MO are "Shiver" and "Saving Grace," which will be directed by the actress and recording artist, Connie Stevens. All of the tax credits have been authorized for 2007, but if neither of these films go through, it could open up some more credits.
Educational Programs: Much of the rest of the meeting was devoted to a discussion of improving the crew base in MO, primarily by developing internship programs, mentoring programs, and encouraging universities, junior colleges, trade schools, and technical schools to create production-related classes. |
 Ghost Image to Screen in St. Louis
Ghost Image the locally-produced and directed feature film, will be one of the highlights of this year's St. Louis Filmmakers Showcase, sponsored by Cinema St. Louis from July 23-26.
The film, directed by locals Jack Snyder and Srikant Chellappa, is a psychological thriller starring Elisabeh Rohm ("Law & Order"), Stacey Dash ("Clueless"), Roma Maffia ("Nip/Tuck," "Profiler"), Waylon Payne ("Walk the Line"), and Matt del Negro ("The Sopranos").
Two MCA board members, Mike Ketcher and Lou Stemmler, were associate producers of the film (and each of them had small parts, as well). Ghost Image screens on Monday, July 23, at 7:00 PM.
Other highlights of the festival include a screening of the director's cut of St. Louis native, George Hickenlooper's latest film, Factory Girl. There will also be a feature length documentary about the Black Repertory Theatre of St. Louis and a screening of Rhineland, a locally-made World War II feature. Tickets go on sale at the Tivoli box office about July 10.
|
Production Notes
 Albino Farm wrapped production on the feature film on June 13th after an 18-day shooting schedule at locations in Warrensburg, Marionville, and Springfield, MO. Written and directed by Sean McEwen and Joe Anderson, the story revolves around four college students who become lost in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri while doing research for a midterm. Missouri crew working on this project included Cat Cacciatore - production designer; Tim Stephens - property master; Flynn Smith - on set dresser; Thom Sciacca, Keri Noerrlinger, and Beth Gravemann - scenic artists; Heather Hogan - second AD; Dave Rutherford - steadicam op; Morgan Miller - still photographer; Colleen May - makeup supervisor; Hanuman Brown-Eagle - gaffer; and Bobby McGee - production coordinator. Missouri production equipment on Albino Farm included trucks from The Gilbert Group, The Catmobile, and Ken Smith & Associates.
|
Members in the Spotlight
 Emilie Barta has been narrating and reporting at tradeshows and conventions all across the United States! She started off the year introducing the new line of AVCHD camcorders for Panasonic at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, and was interviewed by several news programs including the CBS Evening News with Katie Couric. She presented for repeat clients, Lasermax Roll Systems at the OnDemand Digital Printing Conference in Boston and LG at the Kitchen & Bath Show in Las Vegas. And she added Extreme Networks to her client list as she discussed their MEF-certified Carrier Ethernet Portfolio for the service provider market at NXTcomm in Chicago. Repeat client Convention Management Group took Emilie to two shows in Chicago, The US Food Export Showcase and the American Food Fair, to walk the convention hall and report on exhibitor and attendee's motivations for taking part in the conference and their success stories. So, help keep Emilie in St. Louis! For more information please visit Emilie's website, and contact Talent Plus at 314-421-9400 to HIRE EMILIE BARTA TODAY!  Mike Ketcher plays the lead in the recent low-budget biopic, Abbey of Thelema, about the British occultist, mystic, and writer, Aleister Crowley (1875-1947). The film was shot in St. Louis in June. Crowley started a sex and drug cult in Sicily in 1920 called the "Abbey of Thelema." It was the sight of orgies, animal sacrifices, and mysterious deaths. In 1923, the British tabloid press accused him of practicing the "black arts" and called him "the wickedest man in the world." His writings later influenced Timothy Leary, the Beatles, Ozzy Osbourne, and the entire New Age and occultist movements of the late 20th century. Yet, his story has never been told in a feature film ... until now. Besides Mike, the film also features Vampire Don, of the Sci-Fi Channel's reality game show, Mad, Mad House, as well as the famous actor and showman, Ron Jeremy, star of nearly 2,000 films. Mike was also the associate producer of the film. For more info: www.abbeyofthelemafilm.com.
St. Louis videographer Kyle Welke died June 26. Kyle was part of the Shared Services' Creative Services team at Boeing, preparing for the Ethics Recommitment/Ethics Challenge event planned for the same day at Corporate Offices in Chicago. Kyle had worked at Boeing for 25 years. His talented contributions to The Boeing Company will be greatly missed. Kyle is survived by his wife, Sharon, and daughter Rachel. |
 Your Best Decision
by: Terry Thomas
The last articles I've written have been on various topics regarding captions and/or subtitles. For example, I wrote about the legal and marketing aspects of using captions and subtitles on media products. I touched on the production process as well as "stripping" the caption signal to produce subtitles economically. Finally, I talked about what your options are to implement caption and/or subtitles into your production process or a system in your facility. Now, allow me to talk about Caption and Subtitle Services and how we position ourselves as team players with our clients to achieve a successful product.
Our experience and knowledge in the caption industry started back in 1995. I can assure you that our expertise and knowledge, along with continuous education with new technology over the last ten years, has led this company to be very successful.
We have learned over the years that our excellent service and quality will be valued more than price. Yes, price is always a priority, however, it becomes secondary when working with us as we excel and are specialists for these services. This statement is emphasized by feedback from our clients. For example, "I really value your technical savvy, your willingness for a quick turnaround and response, and attention to detail", states Andy from C2 productions. Or, as one of our educational distributors notes, "You guys are doing a great job." (This was a very quick turnaround for 76 programs) Another example is noted by Walgreen's broadcast personnel, "Your part of the process is wonderful!" There are many, many more, but you get the idea. We excel at attention to detail, technical savvy, quick turnaround and very competitive in pricing.
Over the years we have worked with numerous clients from various industries. For example, we work on programs for the Hallmark Channel, SPEED channel, WGN, National PBS, WTTW, and other local PBS stations. Furthermore, we work with corporations that include Walgreen's, McDonald's, Lawson Products, Abbott Labs, NRAEF, and Excelon. In addition, we work with numerous distributors that include products for education, religion, feature films, and documentaries. Also, we have worked on projects for commercials, PSAs and music videos.
When the opportunity presents itself and you have a choice to work with someone who specializes in captions and/or subtitle services, remember we are experts who can offer competitive pricing for outstanding service and quality.
I thank you for your interest in these articles. I hope there was something you read that could be applied in your production process for captions and/or subtitles. It is when our clients projects are completed within their budget, the deadline has been met and they are 100% satisfied with our quality and service that is the real success of this company.
|
| |
|
|
|
